


5 Times Pepper Reminded Tony She'll Always Be There for Him and 1 Time He Reminded Her

by KitKatWinchester



Category: Iron Man (Movies), MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), F/M, Married Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Protective Pepper Potts, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22179112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitKatWinchester/pseuds/KitKatWinchester
Summary: Pepper and Tony have had a lot of ups and downs, and so many things have changed in their lives that it's become harder and harder to keep track. But one thing that they both know will never change is their undying love for each other, and the fact that they will always,alwaysbe there for each other.
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Pepper Potts & James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 64





	5 Times Pepper Reminded Tony She'll Always Be There for Him and 1 Time He Reminded Her

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!! 
> 
> This is a gift for @hammer227 on Tumblr as a part of the Pepperony gift exchange!! You let me know that your favorite movie was Iron Man 3, and you felt like a lot of things were left unanswered, so I tried to incorporate as many aspects of that as I could. 
> 
> I really hope you and everyone else who reads it really like this story! It was a lot of fun to do, and I really enjoyed being part of the gift exchange! 
> 
> Happy (much belated) holidays, and have a great 2020!

1.  
It was the little things she did that made Tony fall in love with her in the first place.   
And those little things never stopped, no matter how different other things became.   
After he told the world he was Iron Man, a lot of things changed. But one thing that never changed was Pepper.  
  
She was still always by his side, defending his every move, picking up his messes, sometimes even before they happened. She was always one step ahead of him, somehow reading his mind before he had even formed the thoughts.   
It was...endearing, he dared say.   
Never to her, though, of course.  
  
Even still, it was all those little reasons that he had trusted her with the company; those small, key characteristics of kindness, stubbornness, and determination that had made her the perfect candidate for the CEO of Stark Industries.   
But sometimes, those same characteristics could be very, very annoying. 

“Pepper!” he called out, fixing his tie in the bathroom. “Have you seen my--”   
  
“Drawer on your right,” she responded before he could even finish his sentence. “Right where it usually is.” Eyebrow raised, he opened said drawer, chanting a small “ah-ha!” upon seeing his comb sitting right on top. He had a meeting with SHIELD today, and while it was certainly the last place he wanted to be, he knew Fury would have his ass if he didn’t show--Pepper too, for that matter. 

As he stepped out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen, he was about to ask for coffee, but before he could, Pepper placed a steaming hot mug of it in his hand.   
  
“And don’t forget breakfast,” she said, pointing to the bagels in the middle of the kitchen counter. “You’re cranky enough without adding hunger on top of that.” He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, but she simply turned her back on him, heading over to sit at the table to go through some paperwork. Eyeing her slightly, he walked over to the countertop, plucking a bagel from the top and placing it in his mouth before walking over to join her.   
  
“And what important papers are on the agenda today?” he said through a mouthful of bagel. Pepper looked up at him, smirking slightly at seeing the bagel half-hanging out of his mouth. He really could be such a child sometimes.   
  
“ _All_ of the paperwork, since you refuse to help me with any of it,” she stated, unable to hide her grin as Tony smiled cheekily at her in response. She glanced down at the file she was going through, but was interrupted by Tony yet again.   
  
“Well, you know, I could just stay home and help you instead of--”  
  
“You’re going,” she said, interrupting him before he could even finish the thought. “Fury’s been trying to schedule this meeting for weeks. I’m not letting you skip out on this.” Tony groaned, and Pepper rolled her eyes--cancel that, he was more like a teenager. 

“I don’t even understand what your problem with it is,” she stated simply. “It seems like an exciting development to me, a new team of heroes.” Tony groaned again, and Pepper shook her head fondly.   
  
“Pep you don’t understand how _boring_ these meetings get. All Fury ever does is talk and lecture and talk and lecture some more. We haven’t even gotten anywhere useful.” Pepper smirked, setting down the file to look Tony in the eyes.   
  
“Well, maybe this time will be different,” she said, before standing up, grabbing Tony’s empty mug and her own and bringing them to the kitchen. “But you’ll never know if you don’t go.” He didn’t answer right away, so Pepper turned on the sink and let the water run, rinsing out the mugs before placing them back in the sink, leaning her arms on the counter as she stared at a pouting Tony.   
  
“Fine,” he grunted, crossing his arms. “But if I fall asleep out of boredom, I’m blaming you.” Pepper rolled her eyes again, but there was no real spite behind it. 

“At least you’re going,” she responded, crossing back to her seat at the table. She picked up the file again, but after several minutes of sifting through papers, she realized that Tony still hadn’t moved from his spot. When she glanced up, she saw him playing with his phone, scrolling through whatever it was he was looking at.   
  
“You don’t appear to be going anywhere,” she told him, scolding in her tone.   
  
“I have five minutes,” came the quick reply, but before he could argue any further, Pepper pointed a finger at the elevator doors. With a sigh and a big, over-dramatic eye-roll, Tony finally got up, trudging over to the elevator and stepping inside. The doors closed behind him, but Pepper could only sigh, counting in her head.   
  
Sure enough, not three seconds after the doors had shut, they opened again as Tony re-entered the room, the words “I need my jacket” hanging on his tongue. Before he had a chance to say anything, Pepper wordlessly lifted his jacket off the back of the chair he had just been sitting in, then placed it into his hands, shoving him back towards the elevator doors. Before she got him all the way there, however, he spun around, catching her off guard.   
  
“Kiss for good luck?” he pleaded, his eyes sparkling. Unable to resist his charm, she gave in, pecking him on the cheek lightly before pushing him towards the doors again.   
  
“Now _go!_ ” she emphasized, and his cheeky grin returned as he backed into the elevator, the doors closing, leaving Pepper behind to stare at them, making sure they wouldn’t open anymore.   
  
After several seconds of waiting, she decided he had, in fact, gone to his meeting, and she could safely return to her work. 

But, of course, things with Tony were never that easy. 

Not ten minutes into her paperwork, the kitchen phone rang, and when she walked over, she saw it was coming from an unknown number. Sighing, she picked up the phone, jumping straight to the point.   
  
“He’s not there is he?” she asked. A very ticked off Fury did not hesitate to voice his frustrations and all Pepper could do was listen. As Fury droned on and on--a trait that Tony had, apparently, not exaggerated--her cell phone lit up on the table in front of her.   
  
_Don’t be mad,_ the text read. _But that really good waffle place had a two-for-one special. Care to join me?_ Shaking her head and trying to hide her laugh, she managed to calm down Fury with promises to get him there as soon as possible before hanging up the phone. Picking up her cell phone, she typed out a reply.   
  
_Get it to-go. Apparently, I have to walk you to that meeting myself._   
  
She had no idea what she was going to do with that man.   
  
  
  
  
2.  
They weren’t supposed to happen in public.   
They usually didn’t happen in public. 

He had learned to control them better than that.   
Or so he had thought.   
  
“Mr. Stark, can you tell us more about what happened beyond the wormhole several months ago? Do you believe space beings still hold a threat to us on Earth?”   
  
He felt himself stiffen, and his mouth went dry. He could feel his heart rate increasing, and despite his desperate attempts to breathe, he knew he was going to have a hard time standing very soon. 

Tony didn’t have to tell her for Pepper to know what would happen. 

The second the reporter asked the question, her eyes darted to Tony, and from her position on the stage several feet away, she could see how tense he suddenly became. His knuckles went white as they gripped the sides of the podium, and his legs started shaking as if they were having a hard time supporting him. She knew he wouldn’t make it through the rest of the press conference.   
  
It took her all of five seconds to react, getting Rhodey’s attention before making her way over to Tony. Rhodey read her mind and stood up, following her to take Tony’s place at the podium as she slowly led him off-stage and behind a curtain.   
  
“Alright, enough questions. Let’s thank Tony Stark for being a part of our conference today,” Pepper heard Rhodey say behind her, attempting to calm the audience down as they started to shout out questions in confusion. 

Tony, meanwhile, had barely seemed to register that he had been brought off stage, and Pepper was half-carrying him as she sat him down on a bench as far away from the stage as she could get him. As she crouched down in front of him, she could see the lack of focus in his eyes as he struggled to get words out.  
  
“I can’t--I can’t, it’s not, I--”   
  
“Tony I need you to look at me,” Pepper cut him off with a gentle but firm tone, grabbing his hands in hers. “Focus on me, on my words, on my face. Okay? Look at me. I’m right here, okay? Right here.” Finally, slowly, but surely, Tony turned to face her, and his eyes scanned back and forth before eventually focusing on her, but his breathing remained rapid. That was the next step.   
  
“Breathe with me, okay? In and out, slowly.” She put a calming hand on his chest, feeling his rapidly beating heart. “We’re gonna count through them. One.” She took a deep breath in, gripping Tony tightly until he did the same. She then exhaled slowly, forcing him to do so with her. “Two,” she counted again, repeating the same motions. “Three.” They made it up to eight before his breaths finally evened out. Despite this, the rest of his body was still shaking, and she brought both of her hands to his again, holding them firmly.   
  
“Tony,” she said, getting him to look at her. “You are right here. Right here, with me, on the ground. Nowhere but here.” Tony looked at her, and eventually, albeit hesitantly, nodded his head, staring at her. After several seconds, his lips turned up into a small smile and Pepper sighed a little in relief, returning the smile.   
  
“That uh, that sure was a close one, huh?” he said. She could hear the shakiness in his voice, but she didn’t comment, instead giving a short, curt laugh before standing up, shifting to slide next to him.   
  
“Maybe a little too close for comfort,” she admitted, holding his hand firmly in hers. There was a beat of silence between them before Tony was leaning into her, resting his head on her shoulder.   
  
“What would I do without you?” She smiled, gently placing a kiss on the top of his head.   
  
“You wouldn’t,” she then teased, and she couldn’t see it, but she could feel the eye roll Tony gave her in response.   
  
However, deep down, he knew she was right. They may have been able to kid around, but in reality, that situation could have gone--almost went--so much worse.   
  
_I love you,_ he thought to himself. But the words didn’t actually make it out of his lips. Instead, the next best thing did. 

“I wouldn’t,” he agreed instead, gripping her hand just a little bit tighter.  
  
  
  
  
3\.   
As if the struggle with panic attacks hadn’t been bad enough, the nightmares had somehow gotten even worse, especially now that the Avengers had fallen apart. 

After the suit had attacked Pepper that one night, Tony had learned to lock up anything he was working on, no matter how small. He couldn’t risk almost hurting her again. But his attempt to ease those particular anxieties didn’t seem to stop his anxieties about anything else.

Classic of his self-deprecating attitude, he had taught himself to suffer in silence. He didn’t want to wake Pepper up and trouble her with his fears. She dealt with that enough on a daily basis—it wasn’t fair for him to expect that of her at night.

Pepper, of course, knew this. She often woke up at any small feeling of distress from the man next to her, but, knowing his intentions well, she usually let things slide unless she felt like he really needed it.

Tonight was one of those nights.

She knew the nightmares had gotten worse since the Avengers had split. She didn’t know why for sure, but she had her suspicions. Before, his nightmares used to be about losing the other Avengers. She assumed they still had something to do with losing those he cared about most, but with the team split, maybe that concern had shifted back to those closer to home.

She had been lying awake for what felt like several minutes, debating if she should intervene. Suddenly, Tony cried out in a panic, and she was startled into a seated position. He never cried out. Abruptly, she put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.

“Tony. Tony wake up.” She was vigilante to her surroundings, her last attempt at saving him from a nightmare still fresh on her mind. However, as Tony himself had promised, no suits jumped out of the shadows in their creator’s defense. She continued to shake his shoulder, eventually yelling his name before he finally snapped out of the dream, sitting up quickly and turning to face her.

“P...Pep??” he breathed out, his breaths ragged and quick, still stuck somewhere inside his head. “You’re...you’re not...you’re...” he glanced around the room, rapidly taking in his surroundings in an attempt to calm his rapidly racing heart. Room. He was in the bedroom. In bed. With Pepper. Who was PERFECTLY ALIVE and sitting right in front of him.

_Perfectly alive,_ he thought to himself. _Perfectly fine. She’s fine. Pepper’s fine. Which means Rhodey’s fine, Hap’s fine. Just a dream._

Just. A. Dream.

Eventually, he was able to lock eyes with Pepper, who was staring at him in alarmed concern. However, she didn’t say anything, just reached for his hand and brought it up to her own chest, taking a deep breath in and out—exactly what she always did for the panic attacks. _God what did he do to deserve her?_

He tried to mimic her breathing as best as he could, and, gradually, the technique worked, and his breathing slowed to something more regular. As the panic started to subside, he gave her the slightest smile before moving closer to her, resting his forehead on her shoulder. They sat like that for several minutes, Pepper resting a gentle hand on his head, still holding his hand with her other hand. Eventually, Tony sighed, his frustration getting the better of him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, softly, but Pepper just gently shushed him, running her hand through his hair.

“I’m right here, okay?” she said, placing a kiss on his head. “I’m always going to be right here.”

And somehow, just by her saying that, he felt like maybe, just maybe, it could be true.

The two of them stayed like that, embraced and together, reminding themselves of each other’s presence, until the sun rose the next morning.   
  
  
  
  
4.  
They were supposed to have been a team. A _family_ .   
  
He should’ve known better.   
  
Of course Pepper, Happy, Rhodey--they would always be there. He knew that. Even that kid, Peter, had an undying loyalty and determination that almost couldn’t be matched. Hell, he’d even managed to take out that Vulture guy. 

He had thought the rest of the Avengers had that loyalty too. Clearly, he had been wrong.   
  
And the worst part of it all was that he so badly wanted to forgive them. To put it all behind him and pretend nothing had ever happened.   
  
Some things are just too hard to forget. 

Before he could stop himself, he had shoved his various tools and metal workings off of the table, and they clattered to the ground with a clang. It was at that moment that Pepper chose to walk into the lab, a plate of food in her hand. Her eyes darted from Tony, to the ground, to Tony again, and it didn’t take long for her to connect the dots. She set the plate of food on the nearest table, then bent down to pick up the scattered remains of Tony’s latest project, gently placing them back on the table in front of him. Tony, meanwhile, had his arms firm at his side, body stiff and hands clenched into fists.   
  
“You didn’t need to do that,” he eventually grumbled out in response to Pepper picking up after him. He should’ve gotten it himself. He would’ve if she hadn’t walked in. But, of course, she was there. _Just like always,_ he thought absentmindedly. 

She didn’t say anything right away, just stood next to him, looking around the rest of the room before her eyes finally settled back on him.   
  
“Do you wanna talk about it?” she eventually asked. She had learned by now that giving him the option was best. It wasn’t good for him to keep it all in, but she couldn’t force it out either. Just being open to talk was usually what he needed most. 

Tony knew what she was trying to do. He had caught on to her tactics years ago. And a self-deprecating part of himself wanted him to shake his head no at her, to tell her he was fine. And he almost did. But his mouth opened instead. 

“How could he lie to me?” he whispered out, and Pepper stilled, listening intently. “I mean, on top of everything else.” At that point, Tony started pacing the room, his words coming out faster and angrier. “The argument over those stupid accords was one thing. All I wanted to do was keep us together and he...he split us up! And then...and then I finally agree to help him, and I find out that, on top of all of that, he also lied to me! About the death of my _parents_ , of all things. _MY_ parents! And I’m just...I’m just...what? Supposed to...supposed to...pretend that never happened? To forgive him for what he did?” Pepper watched him pace, her face shifting into a slight frown at her fiancee’s anger. Before she could say anything, however, he kept going.   
  
“And then Nat? I mean, here I was, thinking she had my back, thinking they _all_ had my back, and now she’s turned on me too. I tried to warn her, to protect her, after what happened. I still wanted to be on her side. And despite that, she threatened me. And then she still left. They all left.” He paused, back at the table where he had started, and leaned his arms on the edge of it. “We were a team, Pep. What happened to that?” He stared at the table, not looking up, lost in his own irritated grief.   
  
Pepper wasn’t sure what to say right away. This was the most Tony had ever let off of his chest about what had happened between him and the rest of the Avengers. She had known the basics, of course, but the deeper cuts hadn’t been mentioned--not until this moment. And she wanted to make sure she answered him in just the right way. He needed that from her.   
  
She walked closer to him, wrapping her right hand around his, causing him to turn his head to face her. 

“You don’t have to forgive Steve or Nat or any of them. At least not right away. And you certainly shouldn’t have to pretend that these things never happened. That’s not healthy, for you or for anyone else.”   
  
She paused, then, sighing a little as she rubbed a thumb over his knuckles.   
  
“Yes, you’re right. You were a team. And you were a great team. And you can be a great team again. But in order for that to happen, everyone needs to give a little. Trust needs to be earned both ways. They both owe you major apologies, that’s for sure. But at the same time, you need to do your best to understand where they were coming from. And when those things happen, when you two are able to forgive each other--to forgive _yourselves_ \--for what happened, then things can slowly go back to the way they were.” She paused again, watching as Tony processed what she was saying.   
  
“And, most important above all else, it’s all going to take time.” She smiled at him then, gently pulling his hand into both of hers. “The world is okay right now. We’re okay right now. And sooner or later, another threat will come. But until then, you and Steve--and everyone else--you have time to work it out, to fix things. And that’s what matters.” She then placed a gentle kiss on his hand, and Tony smirked a little, which slowly spread into a wider grin on his face.   
  
“And besides,” Pepper then said, her smile growing. “If the Avengers never get back together, you’ll always have me.” She then thought and continued. “And Rhodey. And Happy. And probably that Peter kid, he seems nice.” Tony chuckled at that, and his laugh made Pepper smile brighter. _Mission accomplished._

Tony smiled at her, grateful for the comfort he had, apparently, so desperately needed. His anger was still there, and the situation wasn’t gone, he knew that. But it felt...manageable, now, as situations often did when Pepper was involved. Without a second thought, he leaned in closer to kiss her and she did the same, their lips meeting halfway as she continued to hold his hand as tightly as ever. 

Pepper was exactly right--no matter what, Tony knew he would always have her.   
  
5.  
Three years.

It had been three years since Thanos had wiped out millions of people across the world.

Three years since the Avengers had lost. Three years since he had lost the kid. Three years since he had failed everyone.

His wife and daughter had both fallen asleep several hours ago, but, plagued by his own thoughts, Tony hadn’t been able to go to bed himself. Instead, he sat on the couch, absentmindedly flipping through whatever magazine had been sitting on the coffee table.

He could’ve done better.

He _should’ve_ done better.

And he didn’t.

And now the world was in shambles.

And he was living a happy life, hidden away from the 75% of the world that was wallowing in sorrow.

He was grateful, of course. Grateful that he hadn’t lost Pepper. Grateful that he had Morgan, who he adored more than anything else in the world.

But it felt so unfair.

Especially when he knew he could’ve done something about it.

And yet, here he was. A failure. Again.

It took him several seconds to realize someone had said his name. Turning to the voice, he saw Pepper standing at the edge of the couch, brow furrowed in concern.

“Honey why are you still awake?” she asked upon seeing she finally had his attention. Tony stared at her for a split second, debating how to answer, before settling on something simple.

“Reading. I’ll be up soon.” Pepper looked at him, then at the magazine in his hand, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Reading about...gardening,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Since when are you interested in plants?” Tony glanced down, only just now registering what was actually in his hands.

“Since now,” he replied casually. Pepper, however, crossed her arms, staring him down. She knew there was something else going on in his head, and she wasn’t going to let it go unaddressed.

“Uh-huh,” she said, slowly. “And what you really mean by that is?” Tony just looked at her, expression unchanged, and for several seconds, it seemed like he wouldn’t budge. But eventually, his face changed ever so slightly, and a question came out of his mouth.

“Do you think other people have been able to move on?”

The question threw her off a little, and she froze for a minute, processing, not sure what to do. Eventually, she uncrossed her arms, taking the few remaining steps to the couch and sitting down next to her husband.

“I’m sure some have, yes,” she said. She then sighed, knowing her honesty was important to this discussion. “But I’m sure there are a lot of people who have struggled to. You and I...we’re lucky to still have each other. Not everybody got that.” She then paused, trying to read his face, but his expression was unchanged, so she continued. “But, people are strong. And this was certainly a tragedy. But society...it grows, and people make steps to move forward and keep going.” At that, Tony stopped looking at her, and his gaze dropped to his hands.

“They shouldn’t have to,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “This should never have happened. If I had only—“

“Tony,” Pepper said quickly, cutting him off. “There was nothing you could’ve done.” She grabbed his hand, which brought his gaze back to her again, before she continued. “You did the best you could. And the people out there? They know that. Nobody blames you, Tony. You tried your best.”

“And even that wasn’t good enough and now look where the world is,” he shot out, more snap in his voice than he had intended, but Pepper didn’t seem fazed by it. Instead, she gripped his hand tighter before responding.

“You’re right,” she said, and Tony seemed surprised by that, but she wasn’t going to lie to him. “The world may be struggling right now. But you can’t blame yourself for that. Did you snap?” Tony stared at her, not wanting to concede, but eventually, begrudgingly, shook his head no.

“Exactly,” she continued. “And you worked harder than anybody to keep that from happening. You almost died trying to stop that. And while it may not have worked, while he may have won, you didn’t fail anybody. Failing would have been not trying to begin with. Failing would have been giving up the second Thanos showed up. And, from what I’ve learned from all of your stubbornness, the great Tony Stark has never given up.” Tony smiled a little at that, but it was barely there before it disappeared again. There was silence between the two of them before Tony finally spoke up, uncertainty still in his tone.

“And what if...what if we can never get past this? What if there’s this constant, gaping hole forever, threatening to swallow all of us up? What then?” Pepper looked at him, then looked away, thinking for a second before turning back to lock eyes with him again.

“Then we continue to try our best,” she said, complete confidence. “We latch on to the people around us, the people we have with us, and we keep going, until we can’t anymore.” She paused, then, taking a deep breath. “And hopefully that day never comes. Hopefully we do move on, learn to live, learn to love again. Hopefully people re-right themselves and find their place in the world again. But if they don’t, at least they tried. At least we all tried to live the best lives we could, no matter the circumstances. And in the end, that’s what’s going to matter the most.” Pepper‘s gaze stayed with her husband’s until he finally, albeit hesitantly, nodded slightly in agreement, expression relaxing ever so slightly.

She let out the slightest breath of relief before Tony suddenly leaned in, surprising her with a kiss, but she reciprocated nonetheless. When they both pulled away, she gave him a look, eyebrow raised.

“What was that for?” she asked. Tony shrugged before the corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk as he responded.

“Just trying to live my best life.” Pepper herself smiled at that, and she pulled him towards her, initiating her own kiss this time. However, they were interrupted by a small voice several steps away.”

“Ewie.” Pulling away, they both turned to the stairs to see Morgan, standing on the lowest step with her face scrunched up to match her words.

“Morguna,” Tony scolded, but Pepper could hear the affection in his voice. “What are you doing down here, little miss?”

“Thirsty,” she said, her expression turning a frown. “And you weren’t in your room. Should be sleeping.” Pepper laughed a little as she and Tony both stood up.

“Sorry sweetie. You’re right. We should be sleeping.” She then walked over, crouching in front of her daughter. “How about you and I head back upstairs while Daddy gets you some water?” Morgan nodded in response, opening her arms to be picked up. Pepper chuckled, but obliged, grabbing her under the arms and lifting her up to her hip before taking her up the stairs. By the time Morgan was back in bed, Tony was entering her room with her favorite sippy cup in hand.

“Can you say thank you to Daddy?” Pepper asked her daughter as Tony gave her the water. They were still working on the manners thing.

“Thank you Daddy!!” she said, almost overeager, and Tony chuckled despite himself.

“You’re welcome. Now get some sleep, troublemaker.” Tony said, pointing a finger at her, making Morgan giggle.

“Kk. Nighty night, Mommy! Nighty night, Daddy!” She then put her cup on the floor, laying back on her bed as she snuggled back into her blankets.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Tony and Pepper both said before quietly leaving the room, door left open just a crack. As they headed back to their own room, Tony couldn’t help the smile that made its way onto his face.

Pepper was right, just like always. Somehow, some way, they would all move on. And with kids like Morgan in the world, maybe that would be just a little bit easier.

He grabbed Pepper’s hand just as they entered their room, pulling her closer to him as he shut the door behind them.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
1.  
It had taken two weeks. 

Two long weeks of research, synthesis, and the combined brains of Bruce Banner, Helen Cho, and Tony Stark himself to figure out how to get rid of the Extremis.  
  
And finally, after what felt to Tony like months, they had come up with a solution.   
  
It was a foolproof cure--a combined method of cooling agents and detoxification--and Tony knew this, having worked out all of the equations himself. But deep down, a small part of him was worried, as he so often was with anything involving Pepper.   
  
However, for the first time in the time since they’d known each other, the only person that seemed to be more worried than Tony was Pepper herself.   
  
“Tony,” she said softly, turning to her left to face him from her position on the hospital bed. They were in the MedBay, and Helen was preparing a syringe of whatever Tony and his fellow scientists had concocted on her right. She trusted them, of course she did, but she knew that this... _thing_ inside of her was bad. Even if she couldn’t always feel it, she intuitively knew that it wasn’t safe, for her or for anyone else, and of all the things she had been through with Tony, this had to be one of the scariest.   
  
“It’s gonna be okay, Pep,” Tony said, grabbing her hand gently and rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “It’ll be over before you know it, okay? And I’m gonna be right here, the whole time. I promise.” Pepper stared at him, her increased heart rate and the slight shakiness in her hand betraying her nerves. Tony wanted to, he _needed_ to calm her down. He stared at her pained expression, the fear barely hidden in her eyes, and he did the only thing he could think of--something she herself had taught him. 

He brought her hand to his chest and took slow, deep, calming breaths, closing her eyes and forcing her to mimic the breaths, just enough to calm her rapid heart and slightly frantic eyes. When he felt her hand steady, he opened his eyes again to lock gazes with her again, and when he did, he caught the small twinge of a smile tugging at her lips.   
  
“Interesting technique,” she said, grin growing. “Wonder where you picked that up.” Tony scoffed a little, but it quickly turned into a fond smile as he glanced over at Helen, who had finished prep and was waiting for the go-ahead from Tony. He glanced at Pepper again, checking in with her.   
  
“Are you ready?” he asked. Pepper stared at him for a second, inhaling sharply before gradually letting it out, eventually nodding her head. He held her hand tightly in both of his before turning back to Helen, nodding at her to continue.   
  
The syringe going into her arm was just like any normal shot, but what Pepper hadn’t been expecting was the immense amount of pain that came after it went in. The Extremis--and, by default, the rest of her body--reacted immediately, and she couldn’t help the small cry that escaped her at the burning sensation she was suddenly feeling all over. It was blinding, and she struggled to process her surroundings.   
  
“It’s okay, Pep. Deep breaths, okay? Deep breaths. It’ll stop soon.” she could barely hear Tony speaking beside her. She tried desperately to focus on his voice, focus on his hands tightly gripping hers as he did his best to keep her grounded. Gritting through the pain, she worked on breathing, squeezing Tony’s hand as a comfort to herself. Of course, as he often was, Tony had been right. The pain, while excruciating, barely lasted a minute, and eventually, she could focus on her surroundings again. Her breathing was still rapid, her heart racing a mile a minute, and her hand was shaking more than she cared to admit, but she felt...better, she thought.   
  
Watching Pepper in pain was near impossible, and it made his own panic start to rise. But he knew it would work, and he knew it would stop soon, so Tony did everything he could to calm her and keep her focused on him. When she finally stopped gritting her teeth, it took her a second, but eventually, she turned to him again, re-focusing on his face. While she looked better, her breathing was still rapid, the adrenaline from the painful stint still dying down. Tony gripped her hand tighter, leaning closer to her as he tried his best to calm her down.   
  
“You’re okay. That was it. That won’t happen again. Just breathe. Breathe for me. You can do it.” He placed her hand on his chest again and she complied, her breathing eventually slowing enough for her to get words out.   
  
“That better...” she started, voice shaking ever so slightly. “That better...have worked.” Tony couldn’t help the smile that played across his lips. Even coming down from panic and pain, Pepper was still her usual sassy self. In response to her statement, he glanced over at Helen, who was staring at a screen awaiting her test results. As something finally popped her, her face grew into a grin, and she turned to Tony and Pepper eagerly.   
  
“We are all clear,” she said, and Tony heard Pepper sigh a little in relief.   
  
“Thank you, Helen,” Tony said, his voice laced in his own relief. “Really.” Helen nodded once before grabbing her equipment, leaving Pepper and Tony in the room alone. As she exited, Tony turned back to Pepper, smiling at her.   
  
“See? I’ve always told you I’m a genius.” Pepper rolled her eyes, but a small laugh also escaped her, betraying her true feelings.   
  
“Yeah, well,” she said, eyeing him slightly. “I’ve always told you said genius had a heart. So I guess we were both right.” Tony smirked at that, but before he could respond, she jumped in again.   
  
“Thank you,” she said. “For working so hard to fix this. And for being here, with me.” Tony didn’t say anything, just stared at her for a minute, before closing the distance between the two of them and kissing her, pulling her into a seated position.   
  
Tony had always had a hard time with putting his emotions into words, so even when he didn’t say it outright, she could feel it in their kiss. When he deepened it, and pulled her closer, she could hear the shadows of the words he couldn’t say out loud.   
  
_Always. I will always be here._  
  
And when she pulled him onto the bed with her, running a hand through his hair as they kissed again, he knew that she was saying it back.   
  
No matter what happened, no matter what obstacles they faced, the one thing that would never change was them.   
  
They would always be there for each other.   
  
Always. **  
**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the story hammer227! And I hope anyone else who read it did too! Pepperony is such a great relationship, and they need all the constant love and support! 
> 
> Don't be afraid to let me know what you think, and I hope everyone has a great new year!


End file.
